Living Room Updates

As most of you know, I got married about four months ago. And slowly but surely, I've been updating R.B.'s bachelor pad. I started on the living room before we were even engaged, and I thought I'd let y'all in on some of the updates we've made in the last year or so. And, I need your help too, so read to the end!

*Please forgive me for the quality of some of these older photos. We had to scour our iPhones for old pictures, and they're not great. But, you'll get the idea...

The above picture is actually after a few preliminary changes. R.B. used to have a really large dark wood coffee table. It took up most of the floor space and made the room so dark. We got the glass top table at Scott's in Atlanta. The legs are bamboo, but we painted them gold to lighten it up. 

Those side tables (from Target) are also changed - R.B. had dark wood tables on either side of the couch (he seemed to love the color brown before I got involved).

This is from Christmas of last year. R.B.'s dad and stepmom gave him a cowhide rug for Christmas (on my recommendation). I love the texture and depth it adds, but it's still way too dark in there for me. 

Can you spot Zelda, the Frenchton?

There are several changes in this photo. First and foremost, the lighter couch. It makes such a huge difference. We also added a lighter chair on the left side of the photo. If you look at the previous pictures, you'll see a black leather recliner that used to be there. 

The pressed flowers/ferns on the back wall are from Scott's, and the frames are from Hobby Lobby. 

Oh hey, Olivia and Elliott. This is what the mantle and fireplace looked like before we painted the mantle. And, here's the preliminary after...

Isn't she lovely? This beauty is attached to the wall, and we can't really move it because the wall isn't painted behind it and there isn't any floor trim back there either! R.B. had this completely filled with books, and this picture was taken after we had taken the doors off the bottom sections to start painting. A coat of paint went a LONG way on this little booger.

See what I mean?? Paint works wonders!

Now on to what the room looks like today...

Zelda made another cameo in this pic. 

Doesn't it look so much brighter?? Let's go little by little...

I got a great deal on this antique sideboard at an Skyland Antiques in Tuscaloosa. We left four of the pressed flower pictures here and added the pressed ferns to our bedroom. The wicker chairs are from World Market and were in my old apartment. 

This is the newest addition to the room. We picked up this adorable little desk at the Trussville Antique Mall yesterday. That little chair and the mirror are from estate sales in Montgomery. They've both been sitting in our sunroom because we haven't had anywhere to put them, but they fit perfectly here. I should probably lower the mirror a little, but it's super heavy and a pain to hang. So, it'll have to work for awhile.

Whew! Doesn't that look better?? That mirror on the right is from an estate sale. The painting was my wedding gift to R.B. It's by Birmingham artist Dirk Walker. The little copper pitcher on top of the bookcase is from Cottage Collections in Montgomery, but most everything else is stuff we've had for awhile. 

These prints used to be where the pressed flowers are now. The bar cart is from Target, and the wreath was a wedding gift from Williams-Sonoma.

And, here's the mantle today. I want to change out those vases and that side table that the cable box is on at some point. The TV wires also drive me crazy; I need to get a cord cover for those. 

This is where I need your help! This little table is just not cutting it in this corner. Our Christmas tree will go here in a few weeks (!!!), but I need something permanent after the holidays. I feel like I need a plant/tree of some sort to fill out the space, and it needs to be tall. Give me some suggestions!! We love that vase - a wedding gift from Williams-Sonoma - but, it's just not working here. 

So, there you have it. It's still a work in progress, but it's leaps and bounds ahead of where we started. Do you have any suggestions for our space? What's your favorite part?